Abbott’s Houston raid didn’t end with arrests, but shut down voter drive
Investigation by attorney general’s office shows that his hard line on election fraud has consequences even when no crime is proved.
Is Abbott fighting fraud or hurting the right to vote?
Partisan criticism has inevitably followed many voting fraud cases involving the attorney general’s office.
Lawmakers seek investigation of Motorola tactics to sell two-way radios to local, state governments
Three senior House Democrats have asked for an investigation into allegations that Motorola's contracting tactics have led state and local governments - including perhaps Dallas - to squander millions of dollars on the company's pricey two-way emergency
Government releases report on injuries from West fertilizer plant explosion
About one in five people who went to the hospital after the West fertilizer plant explosion suffered a traumatic brain injury or a concussion, according to a newly released report.
Temps with criminal pasts slip by Dallas County officials
Contractors don’t always catch criminal records, and county officials say they sometimes don’t know about temps’ histories.
How safe is your hospital? Chance of serious complications varies widely
The chance you will suffer a serious, preventable complication varies dramatically based on where in Texas you’re hospitalized, a Dallas Morning News analysis shows.
Parkland staff targeted in civil rights lawsuit dispute federal investigative findings
ER workers on duty when patient died now contradict findings of federal regulators in patient death case.
Parkland psych ER is again scene of patient abuse
A patient gagging incident went unreported for more than three weeks; four employees who were involved are no longer at Parkland.
State: Doctor suspended over sexual abuse allegations engaging in 'witness intimidation'
Legal problems are multiplying for Dr. Alireza Atef-Zafarmand, a Dallas doctor whom regulators have suspended because of sexual abuse allegations.
Examining the cost of too much care
A Dallas Morning News analysis of Medicare data shows 163 Texas caregivers who led the nation in per-patient use of certain procedures.
Cost an indirect measure of waste, Medicare researcher says
Certain medical services that are deemed of “low value” to patients are overused and often linked to medical culture.
Methodology for The News’ Medicare data analysis
Find out how The News analyzed recently released Medicare data to examine in detail the billing patterns of Texas health care providers.
Exclusive: DMN, ProPublica discover unusual Medicare billing practices in Texas, nationally
Separate analyses found numerous instances of doctors and other health care providers in Texas and elsewhere almost always billing Medicare for the most expensive class of office visit.
Medicare data reveals unusual billing patterns by nearly 80 Texas doctors, medical practitioners
Almost 80 providers in Texas almost always charged for the most expensive class of office visit, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis.
How we did the analysis
The Dallas Morning News and ProPublica analyzed recently released government data to look for patterns among health care providers who bill Medicare, the government's health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.
Health care providers’ billing code decisions under microscope
Over 1,800 health care providers nationwide almost always charged Medicare for the most expensive office visits, a ProPublica analysis shows.
Texas moved to acquire land in highway path after owner cited development plans
But officials in one Denton County town said they never received any kind of development plans from the property owners.
Owner of failed hospitals won’t plead guilty
Dr. Tariq Mahmood fired his lawyer and is seeking a trial on conspiracy to commit fraud, upending a deal with prosecutors.
Congressman asks state for better West blast health survey
The U.S. congressman who represents West has asked Texas' state health department for a "more comprehensive investigation" of the health effects of last year's fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people.
UT Southwestern shielded from whistle-blowing surgeon's retaliation claim, state court rules
Dr. Larry Gentilello's bid to end six years of court battles with his former employer was dealt a blow Monday.
Department of Veterans Affairs paid $200 million in wrongful-death cases
In the decade after 9/11, the agency made payments to nearly 1,000 grieving families, including 81 in Texas.
Hate groups appear on the decline in Texas, nationally, says Alabama civil-rights center
The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center reports that Texas, which routinely ranks among its top three states for numbers of active extremist groups, saw them drop from 62 to 57 in 2013.
Top Democrat signals compromise with GOP likely on chemical safety changes
WASHINGTON - Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, told an official with the EPA this morning that she's dismayed by the agency's apparent reluctance to
West explosion: Devastation, aftermath, consequences
An explosion rocked the small Central Texas farming town of West on April 17. A fire at West Fertilizer Co. ignited stores of ammonium nitrate that detonated with the force of a small earthquake. Fifteen people died. Hundreds more were injured. A nursing home, apartment complex, schools and scores of private homes near the plant were destroyed. Investigators can’t say with certainty what caused the fire. But some things are clear: regulations on the safe storage of ammonium nitrate fertilizer are inadequate and emergency preparedness is lax.
Allegations that Tenet 'plundered' Medicaid mirror previous case against Dallas hospital giant
The U.S. Justice Department's investigation into alleged kickbacks paid by Tenet Healthcare Corp. - disclosed in a scathing FBI press statement Wednesday - marks only the latest fraud inquiry involving the Dallas-based hospital giant over the last decade.
Collapse of Care
It took regulators more than four years to rein in Dr. Tariq Mahmood. Before they acted, he allegedly submitted more than $1 million in fraudulent billings to the government, and substandard care at his chain of small-town Texas hospitals led to multiple patient deaths.
Chronic Condition
Parkland Memorial Hospital is the nation's largest healthcare facility ever forced into federal oversight to remedy patient-safety dangers. How did the landmark Dallas County public hospital reach this precipice? The problems have been years in the making.
Cancer-fighting agency funded projects of Perry contributor
CPRIT and the governor have denied that politics and campaign donations play any role in the agency’s distribution of grants.
A high stakes gamble
The Teachers Retirement System of Texas had politically connected board members, hired "placement agents" of a type banned in some states, and engaged in high risk investments with public money.
UTSW spending broke rules, paid for travel and opera — auditors didn't ask why
In recent years, Dr. Kern Wildenthal has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in UTSW funds with little or no documentation of the work he did or how it benefited the medical center. Such expenses did reflect Wildenthal’s fondness for international travel, fine wine and the opera.
Alcohol and the badge
Staff writer Tanya Eiserer and photographer Sonya N. Hebert take a look at the role of alcohol in the life of Dallas-Fort Worth law enforcement.
Unequal Justice
The young man fights back during a robbery. Kill him. The neighbor accuses you of stealing gas from his truck. Kill him. The son you never wanted is yelling at your wife again. Kill him. Your punishment in Texas, the nation's death-penalty capital? In each case, it was probation. In many states, probation is a rare or impossible sentence for murder. But a Dallas Morning News investigation found that it happened in Texas at least 120 times from 2000 through 2006.
Sports Charities
A Dallas Morning News review of tax records for 22 local sports-driven nonprofits found shortcomings among some of the charities. Some spent more on overhead than on charity. Others collected contributions but sat dormant. Still others squirreled funds away for years.
Under the Influence: Drunk driving
Texas talks tough about drunk drivers, but a Dallas Morning News investigation shows that they often avoid jail time – even after killing behind the wheel.
The Business of Governing
Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to say that Texas is "open for business." Gov. Perry himself has done quite a bit of business with his political allies, to their mutual benefit. A Dallas Morning News investigation found that he made $500,000 in land deals with one powerful family. Meanwhile, his secretive Emerging Technology Fund devoted millions of dollars to his campaign donors, sometimes in violation of the fund’s own rules.
Uncharted Territory: Texas charter schools
A Dallas Morning News investigation found Texas' top charter schools demand great things from faculty and students alike. Schools at the bottom show pathetic results, and some suffered from nepotism, insider dealing, and misuse of funds.
Private Battles
In the midst of the longest U.S. combat operations since the Vietnam War, military families are struggling through a relentless cycle of crisis and stress. Many suffer their own wounds of war: Depression. Anxiety. Divorce. Suicide. Staff writer David Tarrant and photojournalist Sonya N. Hebert have spent four months meeting dozens of military families and chronicling their journey through these perilous times.
